Naruto: Everlasting Dream
by Dark Raven008912
Summary: Waking up to a world where ninja are but a fantasy, can Naruto come to grips with the fact that he may never live as a leaf shinobi again? And what of those precious to him in this new world?
1. Chapter Zero: Epilogue

_You can do it Naruto, I believe in you. We all believe in you!_

_If it is you, I can know for sure that we will all come out okay!_

_Naruto everyone believes in you!_

_You better not die on us!_

_You've already gone this far, now kick his ass and bring Sasuke back to us!_

_Naruto-kun, come back alive okay?_

A blond-haired ninja coughed blood onto the floor as he remembered his sensei's words. With that, he was flooded with the words of his comrades and friends said to him before he went through the door.

"What's the matter? Is that the extent of your power?" a sinister voice asked a distance from the boy as he struggled to get up.

"Naruto, you okay?" another voice staggered from beside him.

Sasuke was on his knees beside his friend. His long midnight-blue bangs obscuring his face failed to hide a long trail of blood that trickled down it. Naruto gritted his teeth and struggled to his knees. His clothing as well as his friend's were tattered and torn from battle, and their bodies fared no better. Naruto was sure a few of his ribs were broken, and a slight difficulty in breathing meant that one of his lungs were probably punctured. Glancing over at Sasuke, the blond hoped the Uchiha was better off--although he doubted that any of them were in a condition to fight a prolonged battle. His katana was shattered in two, only leaving a short splinter of a blade protruding from the guard. The blade itself was still crackling with electricity from his signature jutsu, the bolts singing the Uchiha slightly as his exhaustion began to take its toll on his chakra control.

Madara Uchiha stood across a ways from them. His body was also somewhat battered but the man still stood tall and as strong as ever. His Akatsuki uniform was barely recognizable and the utility vest he wore underneath was was tattered and torn. The legendary Uchiha was breathing heavily but had on his face a serious and chilling glare. There was a small trickle of blood from his lips as he frowned slightly. Despite being an individual with powers to rival if not surpass the Kage, his body was beginning to give out in the battle against the two Sanin apprentices. After all, he doubted that even god or the devil himself would not be able to walk away unharmed from the powers of the toad and the snake. To make things even more difficult, the two leaf shinobi were wielding their elemental chakras in their most powerful forms: the Chidori and Rasengan.

Naruto looked into his partner's eyes with a confident grin. The young Uchiha returned the grin, his Sharingan barely managing to manifest as it ate at the last morsels of his chakra. Despite his shot of confidence, Naruto also realized the direness of their situation. His toad sage mode exhausted, the Kyuubi was even beginning to give up on him. He could feel the once infinite red chakra beginning to empty even as he struggled to stand up. His legs felt like they were about to give out if he took another step.

"C'mon Sasuke!" he called his soul-brother confidently. "Lets kick this guy's ass and get back home!"

"I thought you'd never ask..." Sasuke said with a confident grin. Tossing away his broken sword, gripped his left wrist with his right hand. Within moments, energy surged through his left hand and began to chirp like a thousand birds. Sasuke flinched for a moment as he felt a stab of pain throughout his body. He had already fired eight chidori, the Uchiha boy was beyond his limits.

But if Naruto could endure, so would he.

As the lightning collected within Sasuke's hand, its now uncontrolable power surged across his left arm, disintigrating whatever of his sleeve he had left on his arm.

The blond's clone was already forming a ball of pure wind chakra as Sasuke stood at his side, his blade of lightning at the ready as his companion's clone swirled the chakra into a spinning vortex of energy.

"So you think you can kill me?" Madara said with a laugh. "I'll crush your little dream right here and now!"

With a cry, both Konoha ninja charged the demon Uchiha.

"THIS IS FOR EVERYONE!" Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs. "RASENGAN!"

"CHIDORI!"

Madara responded by summoning numerous blade-like shadows around him. Even the most powerful shinobi had been felled by this almost inpenetrable defense.

Both leaf shinobi felt hot blades rip across their bodies as their attacks broke through the man's weakened defenses. Naruto watched as two large blade-like shadows appeared between Madara and themselves.

"YOU THINK I'LL BE KILLED BY YOU FOOLS THAT EASILY!" Madara was now crying with desperation.

With a final cry, Naruto pushed farther and felth his attack break. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sasuke's blade slice through Madara's shoulder. If his Rasengan broke through then they'd be able to finish him. As the shadow blocking his attack began to shatter, the blond heard the man cry out in pain as Sasuke overcharged his blade. The energy from the Chidori burst in a brilliant flash that obliterated the man's shoulders and severed the his arm.

With a final push, Naruto felt the shadow break and his attack push through. He felt something heavy being swirled by his hand as he pressed deeper. It was getting hard to see and his body was beginning to go numb. He knew what this meant, his body was running on willpower alone.

He would most likely die after this.

His thoughts went to the village of Konoha. How would they fare without him? He knew that everyone was waiting for him and Sasuke to return to the village. It was supposed to be a happy ending. He was already well on his way to becoming the eighth Hokage, and on top of that he was looking forward to a beautiful life with the woman he loved.

Everything suddenly began to slow down as his thoughts drifted to that one girl. That is, everything except for the blond ninja himself. Looking around him, Naruto saw the world around him sinking into darkness and silence. Even Sasuke who was beside him was being swallowed up by the darkness.

He suddenly felt very sleepy.

The world had now ground to a halt.

It was quiet. There was no chirping from the Chidori, no whirling from even his own Rasengan. Naruto couldn't even hear his own voice.

Naruto suddenly found himself standing in darkness, alone. His tattered and torn clothes were gone, with his own unmarked, naked body giving off a soft glow in the pitch blackness. He couldn't even feel the headband on his forehead.

"Am I dead?" he asked the darkness.

After he recieved no answer, a sudden fear crept up inside him.

"Wait! I can't die yet! You can't do this to me! I have a village to return to! We still gotta beat Madara! I can't... Iruka-sensei... Hinata-chan... everyone..."

Naruto suddenly felt someone call his name. It was faint at first, but it grew more steady with each passing moment. It sounded so nice, like a mother calling to her child. It was then that he noticed a light in front of him. It seemed to be far off in the distance, almost like a door. Even though it was just a faint distant light, it felt warm compared the cold blackness that surrounded him.

If I go there, Naruto thought, will I be able to see everyone again?

Out of desperation he ran towards the light as fast as his shinobi legs could carry him. The feeling of pain and soreness in his legs was gone as was throughout his body. As he ran towards that dot of light, he saw that it began to get bigger and bigger until it was almost like an enormous door. Moving closer, he could feel the warmth and feelings of belonging that he had felt when he was with his friends. It was almost as if he could feel them beyond that door.

He also felt the feeling of being loved.

"Just like when Hinata..."

Was this the will of all his friends and loved ones calling him back?

There was only one way of finding out.

And with that, Naruto Uzumaki burst into the light.

The uncertainty of what world he was going to be in laying heavy within his soul.

-----

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Gah!!! I don't know much about Madara or his attacks, so alot of his moves might have been BS-ed. I'm sorry for that. Anyways the next chapter will be up in a day or two...


	2. Chapter One: Wake Up

_Naruto..._

_...Naruto..._

_...please wake up..._

_...please..._

He could hear the beeping of a machine. He recognized this machine, it was the kind in Konoha that monitored the heart rate of patients. They used it on all occupants from the sick to the mortally wounded.

His mind was still slow as his body began to wake up. Surprisingly enough, he didn't feel the soreness of a long battle. The medicine must be getting better in Konoha. That or they found some new healing technique to speed up the process.

As expected of Sakura-chan.

The bubblegum-head was always working hard as a medical ninja, researching herbs and studying the chakra points in the belief that all patients could be saved one day. Sometimes he'd come in to her room and see her asleep on the textbooks and scrolls sprawled across her desk. When she was awake though, he never could quite grasp the explanations that she gave him in her studies. Compared to him, she was much more complex and literate as he was rather brash and preferred direct action--usually without thinking.

As his vision slowly came clear he noticed a figure standing over him. It was a woman with long pink hair. He couldn't quite make out her face but he could hear her crying and uttering things incoherently. He realized that there was only one person alive that would have pink hair.

"S...Sakura-chan..." he said in a raspy voice.

As his vision cleared he realized that the woman was not who he thought she was. He stared at her for a moment, making out the features of her face. Oddly enough he could see some of himself in her. Who was she? It was puzzling.

Could the woman have been his daughter? Impossible, he thought, as he and Sakura had never... well...

"Naruto..." the woman said teary-eyed, "...oh Naruto..."

She knew his name!?

Naruto sat up slowly, his stiff joints slowing his attempts to right himself. As he did he noticed the woman eyeing him curiously with a hopeful look on her face. She looked like she had been crying for some time. Her eyes were slightly red and she held a tissue close to her face.

"Who are you?" Naruto replied without a thought, only to realize his mistake moments later.

"What?" the woman looked at him in teary disbelief. "You don't remember me? Your own..."

She suddenly embraced him, crying into his hospital gown. Naruto suddenly found himself lost in a forest of pink as the woman held him tightly against herself. His nose suddenly filled with a smell that he found faintly familiar. He remembered this smell, it was the smell of coconuts but with a more motherly touch to it. Although he never smelled this particular scent again in his life, he always remembered it as a symbol of those precious to him.

Then he suddenly remembered.

Motherly.

Mom.

Kushina Uzumaki.

"...mom?" he said in disbelief. "No, it can't be..."

Iruka-sensei had told him who his mother was in their last night at Konoha before he set out for Madara's lair with Kakashi-sensei and company. Although Iruka never saw her, he told the blond that her name was Kushina. The thought of his mother had occupied his mind the whole way to Madara.

Naruto pulled away from the woman who was now half laughing, half crying. "You're Kushina right!? Kushina Uzumaki!?"

"...yes..." she replied softly with a teary smile.

Tears streamed down his face before he even realized it. He stared at the beautiful woman with a wide-eyed and gaping expression. His family was alive and well? How was that possible? But if he was here...

"Where's Sasuke!?" he suddenly blurted out. His gaze darted around the room as he searched for his friend. The woman just looked at him curiously with a puzzled look on his face.

"Who are you talking ab--"

"Sasuke Uchiha!" Naruto interrupted. "He was with me! He fought Madara with me! We promised to go back to Konoha Village! He was there right beside me! He--"

"Honey who are you talking about?" his mother asked in a concerned voice. "Who's Madara? Where is this Konoha Village?"

"Mom!" Naruto, lost in his own excitement, raised his voice without realization. "Don't tell me you don't know! This all happened because Madara wanted the Kyuubi inside me, don't you remember!? Dad died sealing the damn fox demon inside me!! Don't tell me you've forgotten about him already!? We were at the brink of another Great Ninja War!"

"Naruto what are you talking about!?" his mother was talking to him now in a greatly concerned and frightened voice. "Your father is coming from work right now! The doctors just called him over. Who is this Madara you keep talking about, and what exactly is this fox demon you're talking about? I haven't heard of any ninja war either."

Naruto didn't hear his mother's words. He was still stuck on what she said about his father, about Minato Uzumaki.

He wasn't dead.

He was alive.

"No..." he said in disbelief, "...he died... I saw his soul and everything! I--"

"Naruto..." his mother said placing a hand on his shoulder, "...what you probably saw was a dream and nothing more..."

A dream?

Everything was a dream?

It was impossible, everything that the blond experienced as a ninja was so real. The wound he made to his hand when he vowed not to be a coward; the pain in his body as he tried to master the Rasengan; the feeling of becoming a frog as he attempted to balance the three chakras in his body. Everything he experienced was so real.

His friends.

His sadness.

"Team 7".

The Pervy Sage.

Hinata.

His dream to become Hokage.

"A... dream..." Naruto repeated the words, "...no... I could've sworn it was real..."

Was this a Genjutsu?

In desperation the boy pressed his stiff and awkward-feeling hands together and formed the hand sign. Slightly within his mind he also felt like it was a prayer.

"Release!" he said forcefully. His shut eyes opened to the image of his mother staring at him in the unfamiliar hospital room. He pressed his hands tighter and tighter together and cried the same word over and over as tears came out of his eyes. As hard as he tried, he couldn't feel the chakra in his body. It wasn't there.

It just wasn't there.

"No way..." he said on the verge of tears, "...no way, no way, no way. You're telling me that everything was just a dream..."

His hands now fell limply into his lap. His voice quivering as he fought to hold back the tears and sadness that threatened to overwhelm him.

"Naruto..." the woman placed a hand on her son's shoulder.

It was probably the first time in Kushina's life as she watched her son that she felt powerless to help him. She wanted to understand his pain, but to her it seemed that she would never be able to understand.

"Pervy Sage, Old Man, Bushy-Brows..." Naruto ignored his mother as he repeated the names aloud, just to make sure that it was real to him. "Sakura-chan, Sasuke... Hinata..."

As his mother embraced him again he suddenly felt something, a strange thing that he had not felt in a while. A sense of true belonging, almost like having a home to come back to.

He had a mother and a father now.

He traded his entire life for a family.

"Naruto?" A familiar voice came from his opposite bedside.

His mother let him go and he turned to face a man standing at his doorway. He had on a jumpsuit and a tactical vest similar to the one Kakashi wore. His blond hair was spiky and his features were smooth and handsome. He recognized this man immediately.

"Dad?" he said softly.

Instantly the man rushed to his bedside and held him alongside his mother. Naruto simply sat inbetween his two parents, speechless and paralyzed by mixed emotions as they both held him in a teary embrace.

Naruto smiled a melancholic smile.

He had a family.

He had a home.

But deep in the back of his mind he heard a voice. It was quiet and almost inaudible, but the words it spoke resounded within his mind.

_At what price?_

* * *

A/N: Sorry for another intro chapter, it will get better soon


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